Making the Most of Your Trip

Make yourself an extrovert on your trip, even if you're not one at home.When life gives you a camel, jump aboard!The people you meet as you travel are more than photo subjects; they are new friends.

By Rick Steves

On the road, I get out of my comfort zone and meet people I’d never encounter at home. In Europe, I’m immersed in a place where people do things — and see things — differently. That’s what distinguishes cultures, and it’s what makes travel exhilarating. By being open to differences and staying flexible, I have a better time in Europe — and so will you. Be mentally braced for some surprises, good and bad. Much of the success of your trip will depend on the attitude you pack.

Expect problems, and tackle them creatively. Travel is exciting and rewarding because it requires you to ad-lib, to be imaginative and spontaneous while conquering surprise challenges. Make an art out of taking the unexpected in stride. No trip is without its disappointments: If your must-see cathedral isn’t covered with scaffolding, or your must-visit museum isn’t closed for restoration, your favorite artist’s masterpiece is out on loan — probably to the US. Be a good sport, enjoy the uncertainty, and frolic in the pits.

Many of my readers’ richest travel experiences were the result of seemingly terrible mishaps: the lost passport in Slovenia, having to find a doctor in Ireland, the blowout in Portugal, or the moped accident on Corfu.

Most of the time, the worst result is a missed museum or two, and maybe a blown budget for the week. But you may well make some friends and stack up some fond memories. This is the essence of travel that you’ll enjoy long after your journal is shelved and your photos are archived in your mind.

Head off screwups before they happen. You make a rental-car reservation six weeks early, have everything in careful order, show up to pick up your car…and it’s not there. The rental agency’s fault? Sure. But if you’d called a day ahead to confirm — even though you shouldn’t have had to — you could have avoided that annoying hiccup in your travel plans. Double-checking things along the way will minimize the chances of having your trip marred by other people’s mistakes.

Don’t be a creative worrier. Some travelers actively cultivate pre-trip anxiety, coming up with all kinds of reasons to be stressed. The news is always full of air-controller strikes, train wrecks, terrorist threats, small problems turning into large problems, and old problems becoming new again…and yet millions of people travel to Europe every year and enjoy fun, richly rewarding trips. Expect things to go wrong at some point — no one’s trip is ever perfectly smooth — but don’t sweat stuff that hasn’t happened (and is very unlikely to happen) to you.

Be militantly friendly — Attila had a lousy trip. Every summer — when Europe’s at its hottest and most crowded — I watch tourists and locals clash. Sometimes it’s the result of the tourist’s mistake; sometimes it’s the local’s fault...and often it’s a simple misunderstanding made worse by linguistic and cultural barriers. Either way, many tourists leave soured — but needlessly so.

Don’t let one unpleasant interaction ruin a travel day that’s otherwise full of exciting new sights, sounds, and flavors. When I catch a Spanish merchant shortchanging me, I correct the bill, smile, and say “Adiós.” If a French hotel receptionist gets angry with your question, wait, smile, and try again. Assume that it’s a misunderstanding. With a focus on solving (instead of “winning”) any dispute you may find yourself in, you’ll be on your way faster — and with your good mood intact.

Turning the other cheek is essential to anyone riding Europe’s magic carousel. If you slap back, the ride is over. The militantly friendly can spin forever.

Ask questions. If you are too proud to ask questions, your dignity will stay nicely intact...until you realize you’ve hopped the wrong train, ordered the one dish you didn’t want, or led your travel partner in circles searching for that one gelato place. Many tourists are too timid (or embarrassed about the language barrier) to ask questions, even though doing so can prevent the kind of easy mistakes that cost precious time and money. Local sources are a wealth of information, and most people are happy to help a traveler. Hurdle the language barrier. Use a paper and pencil, charades, or whatever it takes to be understood. Don’t be afraid to butcher the language.

Ask questions — or be lost. If you are lost, get help. Perceive friendliness and you’ll find it.

Make yourself an extrovert, even if you’re not. The meek may inherit the earth, but they make lousy travelers. Be a catalyst for adventure and excitement. Meet people. Don’t wait passively for cultural experiences — reach out and make them happen. The American casual-and-friendly social style is charming to Europeans who are raised to respect social formalities. While our slap-on-the-back friendliness can be overplayed and obnoxious, it can also be a great asset for the American interested in meeting Europeans. Consider that cultural trait a plus. Enjoy it. Take advantage of it.

Be on the lookout for opportunities to make meaningful contact with local people. When an opportunity presents itself, I jump on it. Driving by a random cheese festival in Sicily? Stop the car, get out, and eat cheese. Hiking through England’s Lake District and popping into a pub for a drink? Don’t sit alone at a table — take a spot at the bar, where locals hang out to talk. Dinnertime in Mostar, Bosnia? Turn away from the cutesy Old Town and be the first American tourist to take a seat in a new eatery.

Accept that today’s Europe is changing. Europe is a complex, mixed bag of the very old, the very new, and everything in between. Hoping for an everything-in-its-place, fairy-tale land, romantic tourists grope for Europe’s past while finding themselves among a living civilization grasping for its future.

This presents us with a sometimes painful dose of truth. Europe can be crowded, tense, seedy, polluted, industrialized, and, increasingly, hamburgerized. Hans Christian Andersen’s statue has four-letter words scrawled across its base. Amsterdam’s sex shops and McDonald’s share the same streetlamp. In Paris, armies of Sudanese salesmen bait tourists with ivory bracelets and crocodile purses. Drunk punks do their best to repulse you as you climb to St. Patrick’s grave in Ireland, and Greek ferryboats dump mountains of trash into their dying Aegean Sea. A 12-year-old boy in Denmark smokes a cigarette like he was born with it in his mouth.

Contemporary Europe is alive and in motion. Keep up! Savor the differences. On town squares, tattooed violinists play Vivaldi while statue-mime Napoleons jerk into action at the drop of a coin. The latest government tax or protest march has everyone talking. Today’s problems will fill tomorrow’s museums. Feel privileged to walk the vibrant streets of Europe as a student — not as a judge. Be open-minded. Absorb, accept, and learn.

If you can think positively, travel smartly, adapt well, and connect with the culture, you’ll have a truly rich European trip.